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Intel Core i5-10400H

Intel Core i5-10400H in 2025: Is It Worth Buying a Laptop with This Processor?

Performance, Energy Efficiency, and Relevance Analysis

Introduction

The Intel Core i5-10400H, released in 2020, is still found in budget and mid-range laptops. Despite its age, it remains popular due to its balance between price and performance. However, by 2025, the market is dominated by processors with more advanced architectures — Intel Alder Lake, AMD Zen 4, and Apple M3. Let’s analyze who should consider devices with the i5-10400H and who might be better off with more modern models.

Architecture and Process Technology

Features of Comet Lake

The Core i5-10400H belongs to the Comet Lake-H family, built on a 14nm process technology. This is Intel's fourth generation using 14nm technology, which already seems outdated in 2025. In comparison, competitors AMD and Apple transitioned to 5-7nm as early as 2022-2023.

- Cores and Threads: 4 cores, 8 threads (Hyper-Threading).

- Frequencies: Base — 2.5 GHz, maximum turbo mode — 4.5 GHz.

- Cache: 6 MB L3.

- Integrated Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics for the 10th generation (24 EU, 350–1100 MHz).

The CPU architecture is optimized for multi-threaded tasks but lags behind modern chips in energy efficiency. The integrated GPU (iGPU) is suitable only for basic tasks: office applications, 4K video playback, and light gaming (e.g., Dota 2 on low settings).

Power Consumption and TDP

TDP 45W: Pros and Cons

A high TDP (45W) means that the processor requires an efficient cooling system. It is rarely found in ultrabooks and is more common in gaming and work laptops with large heatsinks.

- Pros: Stable performance under load.

- Cons: Noisy fans, body heat, limited battery life.

In comparison, the AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS (Zen 4, 4nm) shows similar performance with a TDP of 35W but generates less heat.

Real-World Performance

Benchmarks and Practical Use

- Office Work: In Chrome with 20 tabs, Excel and Zoom, the processor handles them smoothly without lag. Geekbench 6 results: Single-Core — 1341, Multi-Core — 3956 (comparable to Ryzen 5 5600H).

- Multimedia: Converting a 30-minute video in HandBrake takes ~22 minutes (twice as long as with the Apple M2).

- Gaming: In Fortnite (1080p, low settings), the iGPU outputs 25–35 FPS. With a discrete RTX 3050 (an $800 laptop), it achieves stable 60 FPS in AAA games.

- Turbo Mode: The peak frequency (4.5 GHz) is maintained for up to 28 seconds at temperatures below 80°C. Under sustained load (rendering), the frequency drops to 3.2–3.5 GHz.

Usage Scenarios

Who Should Consider the i5-10400H in 2025?

1. Budget Gamers: In conjunction with a GPU like the GTX 1650 or RTX 3050.

2. Students and Office Workers: For document work, browsing, and light editing.

3. Price-Sensitive Users: Laptops with this CPU are priced between $600–$800, while models with the Ryzen 5 7640HS start from $900.

Not Suitable For:

- Videographers working with 8K.

- Enthusiasts requiring maximum battery life.

Battery Life

How Does TDP Affect Runtime?

Under load (gaming, rendering), a laptop with the i5-10400H provides 1.5 to 2 hours of battery life. In power-saving mode (office tasks, 50% brightness) — up to 5 hours.

Energy-Saving Technologies:

- Intel Speed Shift: Dynamic frequency management.

- C-States: Switching cores to low-power mode when idle.

However, even these technologies cannot compensate for rapid battery depletion due to the outdated process technology. The Apple M3 can run for 8-10 hours in similar scenarios.

Comparison with Competitors

Main Competitors in 2025:

1. AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS (Zen 4, 4nm):

- Better multi-threading performance (+15% in Cinebench R23).

- Integrated Radeon 760M (twice as fast as UHD).

- Laptop prices start from $900.

2. Apple M3 (3nm):

- macOS ecosystem, up to 18 hours of runtime.

- Incompatibility with Windows applications.

- Price starts at $1200.

3. Intel Core i5-12450H (Alder Lake, 10nm):

- Higher IPC (instructions per clock), DDR5 support.

- Laptops start from $850.

Conclusion: The i5-10400H is only advantageous in the budget segment.

Pros and Cons

Strengths:

- Affordable device prices.

- Good gaming performance with discrete graphics.

- Support for Windows 10/11 and Linux.

Weaknesses:

- Outdated 14nm process technology.

- Weak integrated graphics.

- High power consumption.

Recommendations for Laptop Selection

What to Look For:

1. Device Type:

- Gaming laptop (ASUS TUF, Acer Nitro 5) — discrete graphics is a must.

- Versatile laptop (Lenovo IdeaPad 5) — focus on battery life.

2. Cooling: Check reviews for overheating issues.

3. Upgrade: Choose models with two RAM slots and M.2 SSD.

Examples of 2025 Models:

- Acer Aspire 7 (i5-10400H + RTX 3050): $750.

- HP Pavilion 15 (i5-10400H + 16GB RAM): $650.

Final Conclusion

The Intel Core i5-10400H in 2025 is suitable for those looking for an affordable laptop for work and gaming with discrete graphics. Its key advantages are a low price and proven reliability. However, if battery life or performance in professional tasks is important to you, consider laptops with Ryzen 7000 or Apple M3.

Who It's Good For:

- Budget-conscious students.

- Office workers who do not require mobility.

- Gamers willing to deal with noisy fans.

Alternative: If your budget is above $900, it's better to opt for models based on AMD Zen 4 or Intel Alder Lake.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

April 2020

Model Name

The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.

i5-10400H

Code Name

Comet Lake

CPU Specifications

Total Cores

Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).

Total Threads

Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.

Basic Frequency

2.60 GHz

Max Turbo Frequency

Max Turbo Frequency is the maximum single-core frequency at which the processor is capable of operating using Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and, if present, Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 and Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost. Frequency is typically measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billion cycles per second.

4.60 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

4.60 GHz

Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) delivers two processing threads per physical core. Highly threaded applications can get more work done in parallel, completing tasks sooner.

Yes

Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0

Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 identifies the best performing core(s) on a processor and provides increased performance on those cores through increasing frequency as needed by taking advantage of power and thermal headroom.

L3 Cache

6 MB

CPU Socket

The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.

FCBGA1440

Technology

Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.

14 nm

TDP

45 W

Max. Operating Temperature

Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.

100°C

PCI Express Version

PCI Express Revision is the supported version of the PCI Express standard. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.

3.0

Number of PCI Express Lanes

A PCI Express (PCIe) lane consists of two differential signaling pairs, one for receiving data, one for transmitting data, and is the basic unit of the PCIe bus. Max # of PCI Express Lanes is the total number of supported lanes.

Intel 64

Intel® 64 architecture delivers 64-bit computing on server, workstation, desktop and mobile platforms when combined with supporting software.¹ Intel 64 architecture improves performance by allowing systems to address more than 4 GB of both virtual and physical memory.

Yes

Instruction Set

The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.

64-bit

PCI Express Configurations

PCI Express (PCIe) Configurations describe the available PCIe lane configurations that can be used to link to PCIe devices.

Up to 1x16 | 2x8 | 1x8+2x4

Memory Specifications

Memory Type

Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.

DDR4-2933

Max Memory Size

Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.

128 GB

Memory Channels

The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.

Bus Speed

8 GT/s

Max Memory Bandwidth

Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).

45.8 GB/s

ECC Memory Supported

ECC Memory Supported indicates processor support for Error-Correcting Code memory. ECC memory is a type of system memory that can detect and correct common kinds of internal data corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.

GPU Specifications

Integrated Graphics Model

An integrated GPU refers to the graphics core that is integrated into the CPU processor. Leveraging the processor's powerful computational capabilities and intelligent power efficiency management, it delivers outstanding graphics performance and a smooth application experience at a lower power consumption.

Intel® UHD Graphics for 10th Gen Intel® Processors

Graphics Base Frequency

Graphics Base frequency refers to the rated/guaranteed graphics render clock frequency in MHz.

350 MHz

Graphics Frequency

Graphics max dynamic frequency refers to the maximum opportunistic graphics render clock frequency (in MHz) that can be supported using Intel® HD Graphics with Dynamic Frequency feature.

1.10 GHz

4K Support

Yes | at 60Hz

DirectX Support

DirectX* Support indicates support for a specific version of Microsoft’s collection of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for handling multimedia compute tasks.

Max Resolution (HDMI)

Max Resolution (HDMI) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the HDMI interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096 x 2304@30Hz

Max Resolution (DP)

Max Resolution (DP) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the DP interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096 x 2304@60Hz

Max Resolution (eDP - Integrated Flat Panel)

Max Resolution (Integrated Flat Panel) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor for a device with an integrated flat panel (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your device.

4096 x 2304@60Hz

Number of Displays Supported

Graphics Output

Graphics Output defines the interfaces available to communicate with display devices.

eDP/DP/HDMI/DVI

Miscellaneous

Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)

Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) allows one hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. It offers improved manageability by limiting downtime and maintaining productivity by isolating computing activities into separate partitions.

Yes

Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) continues from the existing support for IA-32 (VT-x) and Itanium® processor (VT-i) virtualization adding new support for I/O-device virtualization. Intel VT-d can help end users improve security and reliability of the systems and also improve performance of I/O devices in virtualized environments.

Yes

Intel Standard Manageability (ISM)

Intel® Standard Manageability is the manageability solution for Intel vPro® Essentials platforms and is a subset of Intel® AMT with out-of-band management over Ethernet and Wi-Fi, but no KVM or new life cycle management features.

Intel® SSE4.1 | Intel® SSE4.2 | Intel® AVX2

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology is an advanced means of enabling high performance while meeting the power-conservation needs of mobile systems. Conventional Intel SpeedStep® Technology switches both voltage and frequency in tandem between high and low levels in response to processor load. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology builds upon that architecture using design strategies such as Separation between Voltage and Frequency Changes, and Clock Partitioning and Recovery.

Yes

Execute Disable Bit

Execute Disable Bit is a hardware-based security feature that can reduce exposure to viruses and malicious-code attacks and prevent harmful software from executing and propagating on the server or network.

Yes

Cache

CPU Cache is an area of fast memory located on the processor. Intel® Smart Cache refers to the architecture that allows all cores to dynamically share access to the last level cache.

8 MB Intel® Smart Cache

Intel AES New Instructions

Intel® AES New Instructions (Intel® AES-NI) are a set of instructions that enable fast and secure data encryption and decryption. AES-NI are valuable for a wide range of cryptographic applications, for example: applications that perform bulk encryption/decryption, authentication, random number generation, and authenticated encryption.

Yes

Intel Boot Guard

Intel® Device Protection Technology with Boot Guard helps protect the system’s pre-OS environment from viruses and malicious software attacks.

Yes

Intel VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)

Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT), also known as Second Level Address Translation (SLAT), provides acceleration for memory intensive virtualized applications. Extended Page Tables in Intel® Virtualization Technology platforms reduces the memory and power overhead costs and increases battery life through hardware optimization of page table management.

Yes

Intel Flex Memory Access

Yes

Intel OS Guard

Yes

OpenGL Support

OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-language, multi-platform API (Application Programming Interface) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics.

4.5

Intel Quick Sync Video

Intel® Quick Sync Video delivers fast conversion of video for portable media players, online sharing, and video editing and authoring.

Yes

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

1341

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

3956

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1169

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

4317

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

2645

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

8502

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Core i5-7640X

1419 +5.8%

EPYC 7702P

1374 +2.5%

Core i5-10400H

1341

Core i7-10710U

1289 -3.9%

EPYC 7453

1255 -6.4%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i7-8809G

4482 +13.3%

Processor U300

4176 +5.6%

Core i5-10400H

3956

Core i5-7640X

3726 -5.8%

Ryzen 5 7520C

3519 -11%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Core i5-11400T

1241 +6.2%

Core i5-1145G7E

1204 +3%

Core i5-10400H

1169

Xeon W-1290T

1141 -2.4%

Core i7-8809G

1117 -4.4%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Processor U300

4783 +10.8%

Core i7-9750H

4559 +5.6%

Core i5-10400H

4317

Xeon Gold 6152

4088 -5.3%

Core i7-7700T

3887 -10%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Ryzen 9 4900H

2716 +2.7%

Xeon W-2150B

2682 +1.4%

Core i5-10400H

2645

Core i5-8600K

2596 -1.9%

Xeon W-2140B

2557 -3.3%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon E5-1650 v2

9347 +9.9%

Xeon E3-1280

9028 +6.2%

Core i5-10400H

8502

Core i7-3930K

8200 -3.6%

Xeon E3-1545M v5

7804 -8.2%